Iran and the United States are poised to resume nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, returning to a diplomatic path derailed by Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June and the subsequent wave of nationwide protests that prompted Tehran’s deadly crackdown.
The talks come as United States President Donald Trump steps up pressure on the Islamic Republic, warns of possible US military action if Iran carries out mass executions linked to protests and re-establishes Iran’s nuclear program as a central foreign policy battleground after months of regional escalation.
Why are Iran-US talks resuming now?
The Oman meeting is the latest attempt to revive talks on Tehran’s nuclear program after five rounds of talks in Rome and Muscat last year, which were disrupted by the conflict in June.
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Israel’s campaign, which lasted 12 days, included US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran later admitted in November that the attacks had forced it to halt all uranium enrichment, although inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were not allowed to visit the bombed facilities.
With enrichment suspended but the broader nuclear dispute unresolved, Washington and Tehran are returning to talks amid deep mistrust and sharply diverging goals.
Trump’s letter to Khamenei: diplomacy backed by force
Trump began the current diplomatic push by writing directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in early 2025.
Trump sent the letter to Khamenei on March 5, 2025, and gave a televised interview the following day in which he confirmed sending it. He said: “I wrote them a letter saying I hope you will negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it will be a terrible thing.”
The message set the tone for the administration’s approach: renewed diplomacy under “maximum pressure,” along with sanctions and repeated hints that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure could be targeted.
Khamenei has warned Iran that it will retaliate against any attack – a threat as the Islamic Republic faces internal tensions following protests and crackdowns.
Oman’s role as a mediator – and why it matters
Oman has once again positioned itself as a key intermediary, facilitating contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The two men met face-to-face after informal talks, a rare occurrence given the decades-long absence of formal diplomatic relations between the countries.
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However, this process was not smooth. Witkoff drew criticism after he suggested Iran could be allowed limited enrichment of 3.67%, the level set in the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.
Trump withdrew from that deal in 2018, and his administration now insists that Iran must accept zero enrichment as part of any new deal — a condition that Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
What the US wants: zero enrichment, missiles and proxies
The talks are taking place under explicit threats from Trump, who framed the talks as a choice between a deal and military action.
The Trump administration is seeking a broader deal that goes beyond the nuclear dossier, including:
- Zero uranium enrichment and non-weapon verification
- Major constraints on Iran’s ballistic missile program
- End of support for regional proxy forces
Trump has previously issued stark warnings if diplomacy fails, including threats of “bombing like they’ve never seen before”.
Recent military incidents have also added to tensions, including the reported downing of an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln this week.
Iran’s position: first the relaxation of sanctions, the “red line” of defense
Iran is expected to push for a tighter deal focused on economic aid and demand the lifting of sanctions in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Tehran has described its missile program and national security stance as “non-negotiable” red lines, and Iranian officials have consistently rejected Washington’s insistence that all enrichment be eliminated.
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According to Iran’s leadership, the talks are also under acute domestic pressure following protests that began in late December amid the collapse of the rial currency and escalated into nationwide demonstrations.
The authorities responded with a crackdown that killed thousands and arrested tens of thousands.
Iran’s nuclear program: what worries the West
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, but officials have increasingly signaled that it may continue to build weapons.
Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60% – near weapons grade – making it the only country in the world without a declared nuclear weapons program to have reached this level.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran was limited to 3.67% enrichment and a stockpile of 300 kilograms. According to the IAEA’s most recent assessment, Iran’s uranium stockpile is about 9,870 kilograms, including the fraction enriched to 60%.
US intelligence agencies judge that Iran has not yet launched a formal weapons program but has “undertaken activities that will enable it to better produce a nuclear device if it so chooses”.
Possible compromise proposals: a three-year freeze
Despite public intransigence on both sides, mediators from Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have created a possible framework.
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Under the proposal, Iran would halt enrichment for three years and transfer its enriched stockpile to a third country, buying time for a longer-term settlement.
Analysts remain skeptical about whether the plan can overcome a central dispute: Washington’s demand for zero enrichment versus Tehran’s insistence on preserving what it sees as a sovereign right.
A long history of animosity shaping conversations
The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of nearly half a century of hostility between the US and Iran.
Iran was once a key U.S. ally under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi until the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy and installed the current theocratic system.
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Later that year, an attack on the US embassy in Tehran sparked a 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic relations. The Iran-Iraq war, the US role in the Persian Gulf confrontations and decades of sanctions and proxy conflicts have entrenched mistrust.
The 2015 nuclear deal briefly improved relations, but Trump’s withdrawal from the accord in 2018 reignited tensions that persist to this day.
